Population: 4 679.230 thousand people (2011)
Area: 82931.0 sq. km
According to citypopulationreview.com, South Carolina is called the Sabal Palm State. The territory of the state lies in the subtropical climate zone, with high humidity due to the Atlantic Ocean. The winter period is characterized by small sub-zero temperatures, mostly without snow – precipitation falls in the form of hail. South Carolina has up to 15 tornadoes annually.
The relief of the state is defined by plains that stretch from the coast to the hinterland. They pass into the Sandhills, which are replaced by the Piedmont Plateau. A small area in the northwest is occupied by the Blue Ridge Mountains with Mount Sassafras (1086 meters). In the mountainous regions there are dense mixed forests; closer to the Atlantic, subtropical vegetation prevails. South Carolina is the land of rivers. Savannah, Edisto, Cooper, Pee Dee and other rivers form winding deltas, bays and bays with islands off the coast, as well as wetlands.
Before colonization began, South Carolina was inhabited by the Kusabo and Yamasee tribes. In the middle of the 17th century, when English settlers began to arrive in America, the English king Charles I granted this territory to the English lords. In 1670, the first permanent settlement was founded, named after Charles I – Charles Town (later transformed into Charleston). At the same time, all the surrounding lands received the name Carolina. In 1729, Carolina was divided into two parts, and South Carolina received the status of a royal colony. In 1788, it became state number 8 of the newly formed state – the United States. South Carolina was an agricultural state that specialized in growing cotton. The plantations used slave labor, so South Carolina was the first state to secede from the United States during the Civil War, thus becoming the nucleus of the Confederacy.
The sights of South Carolina are mostly connected with nature. Mountain areas attract with their nature reserves (Caesaris Reed, Table Rock) and rafting routes. Other popular nature reserves are Sumter National Forest, Carolina Sandhills, and Congaree. On the coast, a strip of sandy beaches of the Grand Strand can be distinguished. Architectural objects are concentrated in Charleston – buildings of the colonial era have been preserved here, as well as the oldest US museum (1773).
CHARLESTON
Population: 128,000 thousand people (2013)
Area: 347.5 sq. km
Founded: 1670
Time zone: UTC-5, summer UTC-4
Altitude: 4 m
Nearest airport: Charleston
In the southeast of the state lies the city of Charleston occupying an area on a small peninsula between the mouths of the two rivers Cooper and Ashley. It has the status of the administrative center of the district of the same name and is a major port on the Atlantic coast. The territory of the city, in addition to land, includes water resources. The area is influenced by a humid subtropical climate with hot, rainy summers and mild winters. Precipitation falls here throughout the year. The highest summer temperature was recorded in 1985 when it reached +40 degrees. Hurricanes pose a threat to the population. One of these brought heavy losses in the early autumn of 1989, when most of the buildings were damaged. See South Carolina counties.
The history of Charleston began in 1670, when the first English settlement was founded under the name “City of Charles”, given to him in honor of the then reigning British king. Ten years later, they decided to move it to a new place, where it is now. The basis of its economy in those days was the trade in indigo and rice, which was prosperous and gave great incomes. Until almost mid-1775, the city was the seat of the Governor of South Carolina. From the beginning of the 19th century until the middle of the 19th century, Charleston was actively developed due to the activities of the port, where cotton was transshipped.
Being the oldest city in the country, it attracts with architectural sights. Its old part with narrow streets resembles old English settlements. Charleston delights with an abundance of palm trees growing in each of its districts, beaches, nearby picturesque islands and the traditional cuisine of small restaurants, the menu of which offers a variety of seafood dishes. The coast of the city is actually divided into several parts. Warehouses rise in one, there are parking lots of ships, in the other there is an embankment with beautiful fountains, benches and shady alleys. Art galleries are notable for the French Quarter, which is located in the old part of the city, where the first buildings of the future settlement appeared in the 17th century.
